August 22, 2014

DO YOU GET THROUGH THE WORD, OR DO YOU GET THE WORD THROUGH YOU?

James 1:19–27

Eric Hassfurther
Friday's Devo

August 22, 2014

Friday's Devo

August 22, 2014

Central Truth

God's Word is so rich, but to truly reap the benefits from it, we must STUDY it, ABIDE in it, and DO what it says.

Key Verse | James 1:25

But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (James 1:25)

James 1:19–27

Hearing and Doing the Word

19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Dive Deeper | James 1:19–27

If James were around today, I would love to hang out with him. Of all the authors in the Bible, I don't think anyone shoots us as straight as James. He calls it like it is, and his words are simple to understand. Yet, in his simplicity, there is a depth that challenges the deepest parts of my heart.

Take this short passage of James: At first glance, I thought this would be a quick and easy Journey log to write. But sitting here now, I have rewritten this log four times because the more I dig into it, the more convicted I am that every verse holds an amazing truth I desperately need to take to heart. That's exactly what I think James is telling us in verse 25. The Word is so rich we can't just casually read it. We must …

1. LOOK INTENTLY at God's Word,
2. ABIDE (rest, ponder, meditate) in it, and then
3. DO what it says.

James says we will be blessed by doing this, and I can attest to that in my own life!

In my walk with the Lord, there have been ups and downs. In the "up" seasons, my time in the Word is rich and fruitful, and I feel like it truly changes me. But in the "down" or dry seasons, I read the Word, yet feel unaffected and unchanged, like I'm just going through the motions. Over time, I have come to recognize the difference in the two is the QUALITY of my time in the Word, not necessarily the QUANTITY of my time in the Word.

It took seven years of walking with the Lord, and countless men pouring into my life, for me to truly learn what defined "quality" time in the Word. Funny thing is, James sums up in just one short verse what took me years to learn.

STUDY, ABIDE and DO! These three simple steps have changed the trajectory of my walk with the Lord.

I challenge you to let them change yours as well!

Discussion Questions

1. What specific parts of today's passage stuck out to you?

2. Have you prayed through them and reflected on what God may be telling you?

3. What action steps can you take to apply them to your life today?

4. Do you want to learn how to better study and apply the Word to your life? Who do you know that you can reach out to for help?